My 10 Favourite Photos from Namibia

Namibia is one of the most beautiful African countries. It is world famous for its red sand dune landscapes and Etosha National park, but has much more to offer than that. It’s not easy to choose just 10 photos from a 4-week trip, but I’ll try anyway.

Deadvlei at sunrise

If you go to Namibia, Sossusvlei will certainly be on your top 3 of places to visit. And the best time to be there is at sunrise. The only way to reach Deadvlei and Sossusvlei before sunrise is if you actually stay in the park. We did that, got the kids out of bed before 4am, and drove on a 4×4 sand road in order to get to Deadvlei in time. We were prepared for the cold, but it was freezingcold at night in July. So despite all the layers of warm clothing the kids were so cold and they just refused to climb the dunes. There was no way we could carry them up the hill, so we walked to the Deadvlei instead. Sunrise was still spectacular in the valley and I was able to take some beautiful pictures as the sand dunes colored bright red with the first rays of the rising sun. We were the only people out there and it was an experience of a lifetime being part of this majestic nature spectacle.

Kolmanskop ghost town

Kolmanskop is photographer’s paradise. This long abandoned diamond miners’ town is now only visited by snakes, scorpions, and tourists. Old buildings filled with sand and colorful rooms lit by a beautiful sunlight… I think I took at least a hundred pictures, so the choice for this post was tough.

Children rolling down the dunes in Sossusvlei

I chose this picture not for the way it looks, but because it puts a smile on my face every time I see it. It’s the emotions and the laughter of the kids that I remember when I look at it. And the great time we had as a family when we were all five of us running down that dune.

Namibian sky at night

African nights cannot be easily described or compared to anything else. Complete darkness, an occasional sound of a wild animal in the distance, and millions and millions of stars…

Spitzkoppe

Could you choose any better location for a picnic lunch? That’s what I love about road trips: you can drive to the most remote areas, spend hours exploring the place and not meet a single human being, then find a perfect spot with the most magnificent view for your picnic. No restaurant with the finest food and a nice view can even try to compare to this! Spitzkoppe is a fascinating place. Absolute silence and the beauty of nature.

Desert elephants

We saw a heard of desert elephants in the distance when visiting a Himba village near Palmwag. But by the time we left the village, they were gone. It’s amazing how a group of such big animals can just disappear in the landscape, but they were nowhere to be found. That day we were on a private tour with a local guide who knew the area pretty well. He left the main road and we crossed the river and drove at a pace of a turtle over a very rough terrain trying to find where the elephants went. When all of the sudden our oldest son said ‘Look, here they are’ and indeed, the whole group appeared out of nowhere from over a hill just steps away from our jeep.

Okaukuejo waterhole in Etosha National Park

I could have chosen any of the few hundred photos I took at this waterhole. There were 27 elephants drinking at the same time, three lions just before sunrise, hundreds of zebra’s running away in panic, some black rhino’s drinking at night… Somehow this picture of our boys watching the elephants captures what Okaukejo waterhole in Etosha is all about. It’s a great place to see the animals. No, it’s THE BEST place to see the animals in Etosha. You can just sit at the waterhole day and night and there is always something happening. We spent hours and hours sitting on a bench, we would read a book, have picnic, go and get some ice cream from a camp store, come back… It’s unbelievable how much wildlife you can experience at such close proximity with no effort whatsoever.

Giraffes at sunset

Giraffes at Okaukuejo waterhole. Yeah, it’s a second picture from the same place, but I just couldn’t leave it. I was photographing giraffes and elephants at sunset till I realized that there were the most amazing reflections visible in the water. African sunsets and the bright colors of the sky cannot be easily compared to anywhere else in the world.

The San people

There are lots of different indigenous tribes living in Namibia, and the San people are one of them. I could make some beautiful portrait pictures of the villagers and especially the children. This image of a mother with her baby is one of my favorites.

The San hunter on a lookout

One evening I went on the sundowner safari ride organized by our hotel and two San hunters from a nearby village accompanied us to help search for the wild animals. I took this picture when the man jumped out of the jeep and went to look for a pangolin he saw from afar. It’s this combination which captures real San lifestyle, beautiful African savannah, and the perfect lighting at sunset that makes this my absolute favorite of my Namibian pictures.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the stories behind them just as much as I enjoyed writing. Maybe I could inspire you to put Namibia on your ‘places to visit’ list.

Hi Elisa, Hope you don’t mind if I answer in English – that way other readers can follow as well. Thanks a lot for your feedback, glad that you can find all kinds of useful information for your trip to Namibia. To answer your question in regards to Namibia trip itinerary, no I haven’t posted it yet. It’s been on my mind for a while, but since this blog is rather new, I have more ideas than the time to write about it all. It’s a bit too long to explain in a nutshell, therefore I will write about the trip we made in a new post. Just give me a few days, ok? UPDATE 21 April 2016: As promised – our Namibia trip itinerary. Hope it helps you and the other readers. Happy trip planning!

I will answer in English as well! Thanks a lot for the information…it’s very helpful. I am already looking forward to your post about your itinerary :). We always plan our trips by ourselves and we also book everything without a touring operator. A travelblog is so so useful when we are planning our own trips (and we love roadtrips)!

And to answer your question in regards to accommodation in Namibia. Yes, it can be very expensive and a tented 4×4 vehicle is indeed a very good option if you are on a tighter budget and like the freedom. As you can see, we travelled with three young children and we didn’t camp, so I cannot help you in regards to campings or a car choice. We rented a 4×4 Toyota Hilux from Europcar. If I remember well they had exact same cars with a tent on the roof as well. I think that a tented 4×4 is a very good option to explore Namibia and in any case it’s a bit late to look for accommodation for this summer, unless you are traveling with only 2 people and are very flexible. You can also book one or two lodges/hotels during your trip, that way you can combine the two – camping and a few days of luxury like a warm shower and a good bed. Swakopmund is a good place to stay at a hotel as there is much more choice and the prices are lower. I had a link to a guesthouse we stayed at in one of my posts, you can check it out.

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Jurga. A traveller with a camera and a mom of three boys. On this blog I share our family's travel experiences all over the world, coupled with lots of practical information and useful tips. My pictures will inspire you to discover new destinations and my stories will prove that you can take your kids anywhere.Join us as we discover the world one beautiful adventure at a time!Read more about me, my family, and our trips all over the world...